Skip to main content

Digital identities in Europe could top €1tn by 2020 says BCS

The economic value of our digital identities is growing fast and could reach 1 trillion euros in Europe by 2020, according to estimates from the Boston Consulting Group. Digital identities boost economic efficiency, help focus research and marketing efforts while spurring the creation of personalized products and services that, in turn, drive revenues. For consumers, the benefits are compelling as products and services are tailored to their needs and requirements, says the report.
October 29, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The economic value of our digital identities is growing fast and could reach 1 trillion euros in Europe by 2020, according to estimates from the Boston Consulting Group.

Digital identities boost economic efficiency, help focus research and marketing efforts while spurring the creation of personalized products and services that, in turn, drive revenues. For consumers, the benefits are compelling as products and services are tailored to their needs and requirements, says the report.

The possible uses of digital identity are broad and far-reaching. They include public services and health, mobile and financial services, retail, e-commerce, Web communities as well as identity and travel documents such as passports, drivers’ licenses or ID cards.

The main challenge facing the digital identity economy as it grows, however, is providing individuals, businesses and government organizations with secure, trusted data, according to an IFOP study into the protection of personal data.

It found that two-thirds of the value of digital identities could be lost if stakeholders fail to establish a trusted flow of personal data. However, with proper privacy controls and sufficient benefits, most consumers are open to sharing their personal data.

To ensure that the digital flow of personal information continues, organisations need to make the benefits clear to consumers. They also need to embrace responsibility, transparency, and user control, taking heed of important privacy considerations relating to the collection, use and storage of data, anonymity, pseudonymity - and the extent to which individuals have control over how their personal data is used.
 
Solid identity management practices are especially critical for governments, many of which are busy putting in place eGovernment, eHealth and eCommerce services.

Faced with such challenges, companies all over the world are rushing to provide digital identity-related technologies and services, from trusted devices suppliers to third-party service providers.

Smart card technology, in particular, is globally recognised as the most appropriate for identity applications which must meet certain critical security requirements, including: authenticating the bearer of an identity credential when used in conjunction with PINs or biometric technologies, protecting privacy, increasing the security of an identity credential and implementing identity management controls.

Related Content

  • March 4, 2019
    Kerb your enthusiasm, warns Passport
    Dynamic kerbside management is crucial if urban authorities are to address increasingly chaotic situations caused by the gig economy and mobility innovation, says Adam Warnes at Passport Demand for the kerbside is growing and changing and it’s no surprise when you consider the recent innovations within the mobility industry. For starters, there are new modes of transport, including ride-shares, electric vehicles (EVs), dockless cycles, last-mile consolidations and autonomous vehicles (AVs). Secondly, the
  • August 8, 2017
    Guidelines on cyber security for connected and automated vehicles ‘doesn’t go far enough’
    David Barzilai, chairman and co-founder of automotive cyber-security firm, Karamba Security, has applauded the UK government for taking pre-emptive action and zeroing in on preventing cyber-attacks as critical for the adoption of self-driving cars on a mass scale. However, he says the guidelines don’t go far enough toward effectively preventing car hacking, saying cars are not servers or mobile phones that can sustain the risk of hidden security bugs. The time it takes to remediate such bugs in production,
  • September 4, 2018
    Avoiding a tangle
    The ITS industry will get into a ‘terrific mess’ if it doesn’t sort out the question of interoperability, says Georg Kapsch. He talks to Alan Dron about data, connectivity – and why governments should stay out of technology issues Governments should set a regulatory framework to help shape the direction of road technologies - but then stand aside and allow industry to create the necessary technologies, according to a European pioneer in the field. Georg Kapsch, CEO of Kapsch Group and Kapsch TrafficCom,
  • August 10, 2016
    Technologies to protect connected cars ‘not being utilised’
    A three-year study by IOActive’s Cybersecurity Division has found half of vehicle vulnerabilities could allow cyber attackers to take control of a vehicle - and 71 per cent are ‘easy to exploit’. The research, detailed in a whitepaper, Commonalities in Vehicle Vulnerabilities, is based on real-world security assessments. Technologies which could be exploited include cellular radio, Bluetooth, wi-fi, companion apps, vehicle to vehicle (V2V) radio, onboard diagnostic equipment, infotainment media and Zigbe